Tyler Childers took to social media for a rare post straight from the man himself.
He’s typically pretty quiet online, with his team usually posting here and there when they need to surrounding any announcements.
But today, Tyler shared a lengthy post of his own, along with some awesome video from his recent Red Rocks show, overlayed to his song “Way of the Triune God,” as he thanked everyone involved in the creating and execution of his new gospel album Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?
It’s a 3-part album featuring 8 songs, each in three different styles, for a total of 24 tracks.
The Hallelujah album features Tyler’s band The Food Stamps, while the Jubilee version explores the idea of adding more instruments to the band… some horns, strings, sitars and more. And then finally, the Joyful Noise version which is primarily electronic and instrumental.
The reviews are pretty mixed so far, though it’s only been out for about a week, and I’ve also seen some very in-depth discussions going on online about the theology of the Universalist message of the lead single “Angel Band,” but I right now, I want to focus on Tyler’s message for his team and fans.
He shared a few funny little stories about different band members and how they contributed to the process, adding that they turned his guitarist James Barker’s home studio into their base camp for recording.
There’s a lot to it, and you can read the entire thing below, but it’s awesome to see a massive artist like Tyler take time to individually thank everyone who not only helped him with this project, but has been with him from the start and pushed him to get where he is now:
“After two years of working on this project, the boys and I are thrilled to share this album with all y’all. It’s been a rewarding experience seeing this vision out the door and on its way into the world. I’ve learned a lot, and made some beautiful memories, with a lot of friends I admire and cherish.
I’d like to thank my band for all their hard work and dedication over the years. I’m lucky to have you in my life, and we’re all lucky for James turning the room above his garage into a studio for us to tinker about; sacrificing the storage for Christmas lights and life’s little accumulations. Thanks McGrath!
Also, Kenny Miles for all his hard work engineering and mixing this project. I brought him a truck load of ‘maters and said ‘Ey you! Make some marinara.’ And all he asked was ‘How much garlic?’ Thank you to his parents for letting this fella turn their basement into a studio. Y’all are the coolest.
Brett Fuller, Charlie Brown Superstar, you beautiful hillbilly mothman, and the first person to give me and the boys a gig at his weekly VClub dance night…thank you for hunkering down with me and the boys and leading the way in Frankensteining a feeling.
I haven’t had this much fun since that time, as a kid, my buddy Tackett found a bunch of beat up bicycles on the riverbank, and we spent a summer taking them apart and making other bikes out of them.”
He continued, saying that this whole thing has been a very long time coming, and I appreciated his shoutout to the label RCA for allowing him to really run with his whole vision.
And of course, he thanked his fans for all of their support over the years, as well:
“This collaboration has been a long time coming, and I’m glad we finally made the time to do it. Ross Holmes and Aaron Malone…thank you for your hard work in wrapping this ol’ bar band in a blanket of velvet. It made all the difference, and it was a beautiful experience.
Thanks to RCA for never balking or backseat driving. Arielle Blattman and Dan Chertoff took a big chance showing up to work with this bunch of weird road dogs, and I’m glad they let you keep us. My heart is just full of thanks all around.
For all of these guys, the ones involved that aren’t mentioned, and YOU- the listeners who make it all possible. From the ride or die, get in the van ‘we’re going where you go’, to the hissy pitcher, ‘I don’t like Dinosaur World I wanna go back to the Mountain Homeplace’ huff-and-puffies.”
My favorite line came at the end, where he closed it out by saying he’s been able to turn his passion for music, which his Papaw encouraged him to pursue to combat his boredom as a child growing up in a holler in Kentucky, to a beyond impressive career as the biggest independent country artist we’ve seen in the last decade:
“All of you have given me the opportunity to take a passion that Papaw encouraged to fight childhood boredom at the head of a holler, and allowed me to go out and see the world with it.
What a long strange trip it’s been.”
Here’s the full post and video:
The new record also includes a cover of Hank Williams’ classic “The Old Country Church”:
“Way of the Triune God”
